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Alexander Hamilton 




The Great Federalist 



A 



Alexander Hamilton 



THE GRE/F FEDERjlLlST. 



"PRESS " £^^^^^^ PRINT. 

No. 268 Main Street, Paterson, N. J. 



Alexander Hamilton 



*j^ , 







1907 



AN HISTORICAL ESSAY 

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 

ONE HUNDRED FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
BIRTH OF 

THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 



By ALFRED NEUBURGER 

[ILLUSTRATED) 

PATERSON, NtW JERSEY. 



RUMLER BKOS.. Publishers. 
1907. 






LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Cuoies Heceived 
MAY 29 190? 



Copyneht Entry 

/aM. i_2, '<5o' 



}cUx. 2.2, "507 
'class »-- /Utc, flo. 



COKY b. 



Coijyright, 1907, 

by 

ALFRED NEUBURGER. 



To 

The British Ambassador at Washington, 

The Right Honourable 

JAMES BRYCE, D. C. L, O. M. 

This volume is 

DEDICATED 

as a token of respect and esteem 
for the Author of 

"THE AMERICAN COMMONWEALTH." 



CONTENTS 



Page. 

Dedication 5 

Preface 9 

Sources of Information 10 

Motto 11 

Introductory 13 

Hamilton's Birth and Early Youtli 14 

College Days 17 

Entrance In Public Life 19 

Hamilton's Financial Proposals 22 

Marriage 24 

Hamilton at Albany and Philadelphia 20 

Hamilton, the New Yorker 27 

Hamilton's Most Famous Achievement 2S 

First Secretary of the Treasury.- 30 

Founding of the City of Paterson. N. J 31 

Retirement into Private Life 34 

Political Survey 36 

The Beginning of the End 39 

The Duel 41 

Hamilton's Death 42 

Mementos 43 

Hamilton's Slayer 48 

Conclusion 48 

In Memoriam 53 

Ad Honorem 55 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



Alexander Hamilton Frontispiece, 

Mrs. Hamilton Opposite P; 

Passaic Falls 

Panorama of Paterson, N. J 

Hamilton Statue in Paterson. N. J 

Hamilton Grange 

Duel Scene 

Weehawken Monument 

Hamilton's Tomb 

Alexander Hamilton. Major General U. S- 
Armies, and Secretary of Treasury. . . . 



/ 



osite P, 


ige 


24 
32 
34 
36 
40 
42 
44 
46 



50 



PREFACE. 



The public character of the subject, which I am pre- 
senting to my reader warrants the remark that nothing 
essentially new can be brought forth relating to the re- 
markable career of the ardent Patriot and great Statesman, 
Alexander Hamilton. 

His life has been so much commented upon and his 
manner of living was so frank and exposed to the gaze of 
his fellow countrymen, that the Historian had compara- 
tively an easy task to hand down to posterity a true account 
of his splendid achievements. 

The one hundred fiftieth anniversary of the birth of 
Alexander Hamilton should be a new incentive to pay 
homage to the memory of the brilliant American, who has 
rendered to his country such inestimable services. 

The City of Paterson, mindful of her obligations towards 
him, who has been her reputed founder, and in commem- 
oration of the one hundred fifteenth anniversary of the 
founding of the city, has just erected a statue represent- 
ing Hamilton, as he appeared to his admiring contem- 
poraries. 

The sources from which I gathered my information, (and 
due credit is given them herewith), were so manifold 
and varied, that I lay claim only of having 
endeavored in as concise a manner as possible, to render 
an historically accurate account of Alexander Hamilton's 
life presenting to the reader a portrait of the great Federal- 
ist, true In every feature. 

The aim of this modest volume will have been accom- 
plished. If the perusal of Its pages will bring before the 
reader's mental eye the colossal figure of Alexander Ham- 
ilton. 

THE AUTHOR. 
Patiimon. N. J., 

May etb, 1907. 



SOURCES OF INF-ORMATION. 

"Works of Alexander Hamilton," Edited by Henry Cabot 
Lodge. 

John Church Hamilton's "Life of my Father, Alexander 
Hamilton." 

Henry Cabot Lodge's "Alexander Hamilton." 

John Torrey Morse. Jr.'s "Life of Alexander Hamilton." 

"Library of American Literature." 

"Encyclopedia Americana." 

"Encyclopedia Britannica." 

Valuable data furnished by Major-General Alexander 
Hamilton, the statesman's grandson. 



The illustrations herein presented are exact reproduc- 
tions from photographs made specially for this book by 
John Hartmeier, Jr., of Paterson, N. J. 



". . . . The most substantial glory of a country is in its 
virtuous great men. . . . That nation is fated to ignominy 
and servitude, for which such men have lived in vain. 
.... The name of HAMILTON would have honored Greece 
In the age of Aristldes. . . . May Heaven, the guardian of our 
liberty, grant that our country may be fruitful of HAMIL- 
TONS, — and faithful to their glory! ..." 

FISHER AMES. 



ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 

Introductory. 

Q[ EONS before Christopher Columbus landed on 
f\ these shores, this continent which we proudly 
\) proclaim as our own AJIERICA, possessed a 
history reaching way beyond the ken of man. 

This unwritten histoiy must have been startling 
from its convulsions and changes, the material rec- 
ords of which we find buried beneath our soil. 

But in glancing over the pages of chronicled 
events, which have indelibly left their imprint upon 
the minds of our people, from the time of Columbus, 
to the days of Theodore Roosevelt, there are no inci- 
dents appealing so much to our imagination, as 
the stirring times of the American revolution, and 
the spirit they universally evoked among our for- 
bears, known to every true American heart, as 

" THE SPIRIT OP 76." 

It seems to be ordained by an All-Wise Providence, 

that in emergencies of the most vital character to a 

nation, and in the most troublous periods of her 

career, the proper instruments to carry out her 



14 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

destiny, and bring to a suceessfnl issue her mission, 
are at all times forthcoming. 

Such was the case with the British Colonies, which 
prior to their Declaration of Independence, found 
themselves for several years in irreconcilable .oppo- 
sition to the powers in London who so persistently 
declined to read "The Handwriting on the Wall." 

Among the galaxy of stars, which rose on the 
American horizon, and whose names are forever 
written in imperishable script upon the tablets of 
fame, to whose courage, wisdom, and indomitable 
love for freedom from an unbearable yoke, we owe 
today, the priceless treasure of a free and united 
country, the name of ALEXANDER HAMILTON 
shines forth with particular lustre, — indeed growing 
more intense as time rolls on. 

Hamilton's Birth and Early Youth. 

Alexander Hamilton was ])orn on January 11th. 
1757, at Charles Town upon the Island of Nevis, in 
the West Indies, to James Hamilton, a Scotch emi- 
grant and his consort Rachel, a lady of French Hu- 
guenot descent, by the name of Faucette. Her fir.st 
marriage had been to a Dane named Lavine, from 
whom she separated after a short alliance, their 
union having proved uncongenial. 

While still very young, Hamilton had tlic mislor- 
tniie to lose his mother, who from all accounts, must 
have been no ordinary woman. Her rare beauty, 
her high chai-ms of mind and character, her refined 
culture, and her noble and generous spirit, were ever 
retained in the tender memories of her illustrious 
son. 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. I 5 

Hamilton's Scottish blood was plainly discernible 
ill the peculiar cjualities of his mind and character. 
The most marked and familiar traits of the gen- 
nine Scot; the shrewdness, the logical habit of mind, 
the love for discu-ssion of abstract and general prin- 
ciples, were his, to an extraordinary degree. While, 
therefore, his mental traits were Scotch, he had the 
elegance of manner, and the vivacity of the French- 
man. His firm, moral courage, his persistency 
in noble and generous efforts, his power of self-sac- 
rifice and his readiness of self-effacement combined 
the elements of a grand heroism. These ipialities 
denote the scion of one of the high-spirited Protes- 
tant exiles of France, who gave to the world such a 
splendid example of courage, resolution and forti- 
tude, that to it all the pages of history fin-nish but 
one parallel — the fidelity of the Jewish race to its 
ancient faith. 

Such then was the stock from which Alexander 
Hamilton sprang. 

Previous to his mother's death, his father became 
involved in financial diffieidties, and by reason of 
thi'ir consequent poverty, Alexander, who was the 
only child surviving the mother, was taken in charge 
by her relatives. They lived at Santa Cruz, where he 
was placed in a school, which had only the most mea- 
gre facilities for education at its command. Presu- 
mably his instruction went little further than the 
knowledge of English and French, with which he had 
an equal and perfect familiarity. — It might be men- 
tioned as a curio.sity, and also as a sign of his remark- 
able memory and precociousness, that he acquired 
the knowledge of the Decalogue in Hebrew, wheij 
still a verv voung child. 



l6 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

He fortunately supplemented the narrow compass 
of his studies by miscellaneous reading, and was 
guided to some extent by the advice of a Presby- 
terian Clergyman, The Rev. Hugh Knox, with 
whom he became acquainted. 

He was only between twelve and thirteen years 
old, when he was taken from school and finally 
placed iinder the guidance of a successful merchant 
and excellent man, one Nicholas Cruger. His rapid 
advance in the knowledge of mercantile affairs was 
so marked, that his employer felt justified in leaving 
the Island for a time, and in placing the whole man- 
agement of important business interests in the sole 
charge of young Hamilton, who it must be remem- 
bered, had at that time, not yet completed his four- 
teenth year. This is the more notable, since we 
know that Hamilton's distaste for a merchant's 
career was most pronounced ; but here as in all things, 
he brought his boundless energy, his remarkable 
will power and his subtle intellect, although so young 
in years, to bear upon his charge. 

In the year 1772, during the month of August, a 
hurricane of more than ordinary violence, even for 
the Tropics, swept over the Leeward Islands, caus- 
ing unparalleled devastation and destruction. 

Before the terror and excitement which this out- 
break of the elements caused had subsided, there 
appeared a newspaper account of the occurrence, so 
powerful and vivid, that even the Goveimor of the 
Island became interested and anxious to discover the 
unknown writer. The article was traced to Hamil- 
ton. 

The unusual capacity it displayed, considering the 
youth of its author, made Hamilton the cynosure of 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 1 7 

all eyes, and a plan to aid in his future career was 
formed and adopted by some of his friends. 

Ilis own desires were consulted, and by a turn of 
good fortune, it happened that he was enabled 
through some liberal financial arrangements, to set 
sail for Boston in October, 1772. 

College Days. 

From ]5oston, Ilainilton pi'oeeetlctl at once to New 
York, and placed himself at a School of some re- 
nown at Elizabethtown, N. J., under the patronage 
of (iovernor Livingston, and a Mr. Boudinot. (The 
latter name is not unfamiliar to Patersonians, a rep- 
resentative of the family being still numbered 
among our prominent citizens.) He was intro- 
duced into the families of these gentlemen, and 
through them ha<l ready access to the best society 
of those days. 

Meantime, Hamilton was most assiduous in his 
studies. His great zeal for work and the improve- 
ment of his intellectual faculties made it possible 
for him to be declared fit in every respect, to enter 
Princeton College. However, his request, made to 
the then President of the College, the celebrated Dr. 
Withcr.spoon, whose fame as a scholar has come 
down to our own days, to be permitted after passing 
a successful examination, to advance as rapidly as 
he was able, untrammelled by the regulations, then 
established in the College of Princeton, was too start- 
ling to find favor, and was consequently refused. 

Undaunted, he at once had recourse to Columbia 
College, known in those day?, as "King's College," 
in New York, where the more liberal principles at 

■A 



1 8 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

that seat of learning, enabled him to be inscribed as 
a scholar at his own terms. With his wonted zeal, 
he applied himself at once to his allotted studies, 
to which he added a series of lectures upon anatomy. 
He also became a member of a debating club, in 
which, it is said, he especially distinguished him- 
self. 

The times, during Vv'hich Hamilton was destined 
to pursue his college education, were not very pro- 
pitious for a quiet student's life, and for a young 
man of Hamilton's mental and physical disposition, 
the days were indeed, as Ave would now say — stren- 
uous. 

The forebodings of the trouble to come, were 
many and significant. For some years, prior to his 
landing at Boston, the Revolutionary storm was 
brewing, and the spirit of discontent was rampant 
among the Colonists. 

In 1765, the Stamp Act had been passed. In 1768, 
the famous circular letter of Massachusetts was sent 
forth among her sister Colonies. 

In the winter of 1769-70, frequent and serious col- 
lisions took place between the Patriots and the Brit- 
ish soldiery, both at New York and Boston. 

Late in 1773, Hamilton entered College and tunud- 
tuous as was the state of public affairs then, he for 
a time, tried steadfastly to pursue his studies with 
his usual tenacity. Moreover, he felt himself a 
stranger in a strange land. He was not imbueti at 
once with the spirit which animated the dwellers 
of the soil. In fact, it must be admitted, that to his 
well ordered mind, the questions at issue, and per- 
haps also the circumstance that he was at that time 
a loyal British subject, led him to lean i-afher on the 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 19 

side of llie British Crown, than on that of the rebel- 
lioii.s Colonists. 

But a visit to Boston in the Spring of 1774, where 
only a few short months before, the ever memorable 
■'Tea Party" had taken place, changed completely 
his previously conceived vague notions, as to the 
righteousness of the cause, and he became a zealous 
partisan in the ranks of the Revolutionists. 

With amazing rapidity, and without neglecting 
his studies at College, he made himself master of all 
the arguments which could well be advanced upon 
either side. At a great meeting of the Patriots, at 
New York, in Jul}' of that year, Hamilton was an 
eager listener to the many speakers of note. To all 
which had been said his blood warmed, and he felt 
he could add something of value. He gathered up 
courage enough to rise and address the people. Let 
us remember he was only seventeen years of age then 
and of such short and slight stature, that he pre- 
sented the appearance of a young boy. 

The throng of grown men was astonished to see a 
mere stripling ascend the rostrum, but their aston- 
ishment gave place to genuine admiration when they 
heard an argumentative address made to a body of 
fervent Patriots, by so young a person, but so ma- 
ture a mind. 

Entrance in Public Life. 

From that moment Hamilton ceased to be a 
boy, and became at once a man, high in the 
coiuicils of those serious men, who planned and 
brought to a sueeessfiil issue, the severance of the 
brightest jewel in the British Crown. 



20 ALEXANDER HAMILtON 

Hamilton was now fully committed to the Colonial 
struggle, and for the next two years he gave ardent 
support with voice and pen to the cause of freedom. 
He won wide repute by his vigorous speeches, and 
by his no less stirring pamphlet and newspaper writ- 
ings. 

When the authorship of "A Full Vindication" and 
"The Farmer Refuted" (which had been attributed 
to John Jay, and other experienced leaders), had 
been established as coming from the pen of Hamil- 
ton, the youth of eighteen, became a foremost power 
in the patriot movement. 

In the great year of 1776, he was appoint- 
ed by the New York Convention Commander 
of a Company of Artillery, and showed such 
high executive qualities, especially at the battles of 
Long Island and White Plains, that he was com- 
mended by General Greene, and had the extraor- 
dinary distinction of being invited by the great 
Washington to become his aid-de-camp, with the 
rank of Lieuteiiant-Colonel, in 1777. Although such 
an expression of confidence in his character and abil- 
ities by Washington was flattering indeed to the 
young soldier, whose courage was never questioned, 
he having been found always in the thick of the 
fight with the utmost tranquility and composure, 
Hamilton still did not accept this great preferment 
without some degree of reluctance. He preferred to 
be in the fighting line, but the sentiments of respect 
and affection he entertained for his great chief, 
decided his course. 

Not imtil nine months after he had thus become 
Washington's right hand, did he attain his maioi'ltv. 



tHE GREAT FEDERALIST. it 

Among his associates, was Secretary Harrison, a 
man old enough to be his father, who took an especial 
fancy to him, dubbin jr him "The Little Lion," — a 
Houliritiuet by vvhiuh he long contiinu'd to be known. 
But young as he was, he was perfectly able to hold 
his own among his seniors in all matters of grave 
counsel, whether of a purely military nature, or ques- 
tions of state. 

With singular freedom from jealousy they frank- 
ly accorded to his views the serious consideration 
to which his suggestions entitled them. His opinions 
were received with un(|ualificd respect, and the 
terms upon which he associated with the great Com- 
mander-in-Chief and his military family were as 
honorable to the spirit of those renowned men as 
they were to the intellect of young Hamilton. 

Washington took pains to let those around 
him know that he considered his young friend his 
principal and most confidential adviser. In all 
matters of moment it was Hamilton's advice that 
was most anxiously sought, most carefully weighed 
and most frequently followed, in whole or in part. 

By his diplomacy and tact he made himself indis- 
pensable to Washington, who entrusted him with 
the most difficult and subtle missions, foremost 
among which was the famous task to induce Gen- 
eral Gates, who had an altogether too high opinion 
of himself and his services, to send reinforcements 
to Washington. Gates had just defeated General 
Burgoyne in November, 1777, and was therefore 
prone to disobey Washington. Hamilton succeeded 
admirably in this difficult embassy and carried his 
point. 



M 



22 ALKXANDAR HAMILTON 

During the awful winter of 1777-78, and in 
the terrible days of Valley Forge, Hamilton with his 
buoyant spirit and unshakeable faith in the ultimate 
success of the Continental Arms, proved to be the 
greatest boon to Washington. He assisted in ar- 
ranging campaigns, increasing the support of the 
AiTny and confirming the unity of the federated 
States. Not only did he hold the sword of the Army 
but General Washington's military correspondence, 
carried on by Hamilton in the name of his chief, re- 
mains unrivaled in the annals of warfare to this 
day. The orders, commands, instructions and other 
military pronunciamentoes, emanating from the 
Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief, bearing 
Washington's signature, but indited by Hamilton, 
have distinct literary merits. 

Hamilton's Financial Proposals. 

The year 1780 saw the American conflict more in 
the light of a desperate rivalry in financial ability 
and resources between the mother country and the 
Colonists. The active and ])atriotie mind of TT.im- 
ilton became engaged upon the elaboration of such 
financial schemes as he hoped would relieve the di.s- 
tross of the country, and furnish now munitions of 
warj He proposed a plan to establish an American 
iank, to be chartered by Congress for ten years, 
and to be called "The Bank of the United States." 
The basis of this institution was to be a foreign loan 
of $10,000,000 as a portion of the Bank's stock; a 
snhscri]ition for .$2.')0,000,000 more,/ gwrTTrnTrT»tl-+n' 
.$ 10,000,()00 -f) f spfi'ics, iir 4*j.:.iLJaw n fide niur rniTOt 
ermTrtej'.l The Bank notes were to be made pay- 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 23 

able to the bearer in three months, at 10 per cent. 
An annual loan of $50,000,000 was to be furnished 
to Congress by the Bank, at 4 per cent. By this 
scheme he became known as "The Founder of the 
I'ublic Credit of the United States." To a great 
extent his suggestions were acted upon, and a Bank, 
founded on private contribvitions, amounting to {_Jl^ 
.+1.500,000 was organized. ■ 

tiiT iiieiliaU'ly after; Congress established with 
little variation from Hamilton's plans, the ex- 
ecutive departments in the new Federal Government. 
These plans were outlined by Hamilton in a mas- 
terly manner, giving the nature and history of Re- 
publican governments and the Confederacy of States, 
describing the proposed distribution of the various 
executive departments and defining the duties of 
the Officers of the Federal govenimeut. He also 
evolved a scheme to proportion taxes, and to collect 
them, showing his superior intellect travelling for- 
M-ard to the future and brooding over those great 
measures which would become essential to the estab- 
lishment of national unity, harmony and prosperity, 
at a time when as yet the most sagacious of American 
Patnots were content to tlwoU on the conditions of 
the then prevailing crisis. 

In that year, llamiilon was selected by Washing- 
ton and Lafayette, whose friendship and affection 
he enjoyed to an unusual degree to the end of his 
earthly career, as an Ambassador Extraordinary to 
France, to procure more extensive and efficient aid. 
He declined, however, this great honor, but per- 
formed the difficult task of drawing up a letter of 
instructions to the ultimate Envoy Plenipotentiary to 
the Court of King Louis XVI at Versailles, Mr. 
Laurens, with his usual ability. 



24 AEEXANDER HAMILTON 

During this period the fate of Major Andre ex- 
cited his generous sympathy. He exerted his utmost 
efforts to discover some legal and honorable means 
to save him, and when all proved unavailing, he 
wrote and published the facts of the case in a man- 
ner, which reflects equal credit upon his great mind, 
and the womanly tenderness of his heart. There is 
extant a letter to the yoiuig lady who was destined to 
become his wife, in which he deplores the fate of the 
young British Officer, but likewise admits the jus- 
tice of the stern sentence of the Commander-in-Chief. 

Marriage. 

On Dec. 14th, 1780, at Albany, Hamilton was 
united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Schuyler, 
second daughter of General Philip Schuyler, a rev- 
olutionary soldier of high repute. This union proved 
to be a most happy one ; his life conipauion being a 
woman possessed of great talent, and ever solicitous 
of the material as well as spiritual welfare of her 
distinguished luisbaud, whom she was fated to sur- 
vive by over fifty years. The first great shadow 
which fell over their blissful lives was occasioned 
by the loss of their eldest son, Thilip Schuyler Ham- 
ilton, who fell mortally woundtnl in n duel defending 
the honor of his father. By a cruel irony of fate the 
combat took place at exactly the same spot where 
three years later the father was to meet his antag- 
onist on the so-called "Field of Honor," only also 
to be ruthlessly slain. Hamilton never quite recov- 
ered from the blow which this entirely wanton sacri- 
fice of the very promising and brilliant boy of eigh- 
teen years, struck to jiis fatherly heart. 




EMZABETII SCHUYLER, 

WIKE OK 

ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 2$ 

"IfShortly after his marriage, iu February, 1781, 
Hamilton withdrew from the personal service of 
Washin«,'ton, owing to a slight rupture between these 
tv.'o friends. (To tHe gTiident of historical events" 
iiuthiug.seems more, ludicrous than the reply which 
I he boy of four and twenty gave to the mighty Wash- 
ington on that occasion. •, 

It appears Washington had sent for Hamilton to 
call on him at his Heachiuarters, in New Windsor. 
In setting out to obey the botigat (k the Commander- 
in-Chief, Hamilton met General Lafayette, who en- 
gaged him for a few moments in conversation. Al- 
though anxious to make his way into the presence 
of his chief, Hamilton felt he could not display undue 
haste for fear of offending the distinginshed French- 
man. As soon as he properly could he presented 
himself before the now angrily aroused Washington: 

"Colonel Hamilton, you have been keeping me waiting 
"these ten minutes. I consider this a want of respect," 
thundered Washington. "I was not conscious of it. Sir," 
replied Hamilton, "but since you mention the fact, we part." 

It must be remembered that Hamilton for some time 
previous to this encounter was chafing under his 
enforcotl inability to be on the firing line. His with- 
drawal from Washington's Headquarters gave him 
the much longed-for opportunity of leading a corps 
to action. lie received a command of light infantry 
under Lafayette, and greatly distinguished himself 
by his bravery. He led a gallant charge at York- 
town, capturing a British redoubt at the head of his 
storming soldiers, and thus brought his military 
career to a brilliant end, simultaneously with the 
close of the War, which the Colonists waged for 
Freedom. (^All aspicatk)ns of the British to^ subju-) 



26 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

gate the uudaimted and sturdy Colonists came to 
nanjjlit with the fall of Yorktowu, in October, 1781. 
'J'he War was practically at an end. 

Hamilton at Albany and Philadelphia. 

Toward the close of the year 1781, Ilaiuiltou re- 
turned to his young wife in Albany, and began the 
study of Jurisprudence, Finance and the Science 
of Government. lie prepared a series of elaborate 
essays which appeared afterwards in the "Federal- 
ist" under the since celebrated nom-de-plume : "Pub- 
lius." 

In July, 1782, the New York Legislature 
elected Hamilton a Representative in Congress. 
lie now moved in a sphere signally adapted to his 
great abilities, and was able to incorporate his broad 
and lofty ideas into that masterpiece of modern 
statesmanship: "The Constitution of the United 
States of America." 

At this pci-iod, Hamilton proposed a reso- 
lution in Congress, Avhieh was honorable both 
to himself and to his subject. He moved, and 
it was carried, that "The ConuiuuKler-in-Chicf, 
((icneral Washington), be informed that on the po- 
litical and military affairs of these States, Congress 
would always be happy to receive his sentiments, 
the utility of which they have on so many occasions, 
experienced." 

During the interval of the Sessions of the 
Continental Congress, which met in Philadel- 
l)hia, he prepared himself to be admitted to the Bar, 
and was licensed as an Attorney-at-Law in the in- 
credibly short time of four mouths. By a strange 



TliE GREAT FEDERALIST. if 

coincidence, iiiron Burr, Hamilton's active and un- 
scrupulous opponent, is perhaps the only other in- 
stance of such rapid admission to the Bar. 

Hamilton had become convinced that the Feder- 
ative system had outgrown its usefulness and that a 
stronger and more centralized form of Government 
was needed, but his views found no practical sup- 
port or encouragement at that period. Meanwhile, 
the great Financier, Robert Morris of Pennsylvania, 
appointed Hamilton to the resi)onsible post of Re- 
ceiver of Continental Taxes in the State of New 
York. 

He was also Chairman of the Committee on 
Peace Arrangements between the States and the 
Mother Country, and as such, reported to Congress 
regarding the Department of Foreign Affairs. In this 
report he provided that the Secretary of that De- 
partment should occupy the position of Chief of the 
Diplomatic Corps, and that it should be his duty to 
lay before Congress such plans for conducting the 
political and commercial intercourse of the United 
States with foreign powers, as might appear to him 
to be best adapted to promote their interests. 

After the adjournment of Congress in October, 
1783, Hamilton retired to Albany. At tlie age of 
twenty-six years he was thus the leading spirit of the 
great American Continental Congress. 

Hamilton, the New Yorker. 

In the following month, November, 1783, he re- 
moved to New York City, and entered upon a large 
and lucrative legal practice, and although engaged 
in his professional pursuits, he foinid time to give 



28 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

attention to the financial interests of his own State. 

It was during this period that Hamilton's posi- 
tion with regard to negro slavery, which so far had 
not attracted a great degree of attention in Ameri- 
can history, was defined. He wrote to one of his 
friends in the South that he had noticed an associ- 
ation against the slavery of negroes was being 
formed, and as he had been always partial to his 
brothers of that color, he wished to be enrolled in 
the membership of that organization. 

Hamilton also took a prominent part in the estab- 
lishment of the celebrated "Society of the Cincin- 
nati." This Society was denounced as being patri- 
cian in principle and incurred violent popular preju- 
dices, particularly in such eminent men, as Jefferson 
and Adams. Hamilton's masterly exposition of the 
great principles of the Society of the Cincinnati pre- 
vailed, and to this day the Society remains as an hon- 
orable memento of the most glorious era of American 
history. 

He also devised a plan to build up a great 
system of public instruction upou com))rehensive 
principles, and to his energy and enlightened patriot- 
ism, the city of New York is indebted for the estab- 
lishment of several of her most useful Academies; 
and not that city alone, but others throughout the 
State of New Yorlv, and in (lil'l'(>n'iit States of the 
Union. 

Hamilton's Most Famous Achievement. 

In 1787, at the age of thirty, Hamilton reached the 
point in liis remarkable career where he performed 
the most important service to his country, and 



tHE GREAT FEDERALIST. ig 

erected a monument to his own fame, more honor- 
able and more permanent than fell to the lot of 
any other American patriot — save Washington alone 
— the formation and adoption of the Federal Consti- 
tution, which now unites, governs and protects the 
llnion. 

Of this momentous work Hamilton expressed 
himself in one of his essays in the "Federalist" as 
follows : — 

"I never expect to see a perfect work from imperfect 
"man, but a Nation, without a national government, is an 
"awful spectacle." 

The articles of Confederation which up to this time 
had bound the States loosely together, wore found 
to be wholly inadequate to furnish a solid founda- 
tion for the establishnu'ut and i)orpctiiity of the Gov- 
ernment. 

Petty jealousies and discords of menacing growth 
made themselves manifest in its Council ; the as]>ira- 
tions of the leaders from the various States for the 
hegemony assumed such proportions that a condi- 
tion of things was rai)id]y being created, which very 
nearly resembled the deplorable picture, divided Ger- 
many presented to the world — prior to the forma- 
tion of that mighty Empire which followed as an 
inevitable conseiiuence of the war with France, in 
1870-71. 

TIaniilton, as one of the Delegates to the Conven- 
tion to draw up a new Constitution, presented an 
elaborate plan of ten articles, which were finally 
adopted and recommended by the Convention, and 
securing at last the final approbation of all the 
states, went into operation in March, 1789. Although 
Hamilton's jilaii tor an upjier house, called the Sen- 



^6 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

ate, whose members were to be elected for life, was 
rejected by the Convention, he with patriotic zeal, 
advocated the adoption of the Constitution in the 
amended form. 

There is not in the Constitution of the United 
States, an element of order, of force, or of duration, 
which Hamilton has not powerfully contributed, to 
introduce into it and to give it a predominance. 
Among the great men of the world, who have best 
known the vital principles and fundamental condi- 
tions of a Government, Hamilton must at once be 
accorded a place in the foremost rank. 

First Secretary of the Treasury. 

On April 6th, 1789, George Washington was unan- 
imously elected first President of the United States 
of America. 

One of the first official acts of the newly elected 
President was to secure Hamilton's consent to fill 
the most imjiortant post, at that time in the Cabinet, 
the office of Secretary of the yet to i)e established. 
Treasury Department. On September 2nd, ITS!), the 
act establishing the Treasury Dei);irtnu'iit was 
passed, and on the 11th day of that montli Hamilton 
received his Commission as- first Secretary of the 
Treasury, with a yearly enToIument of .'jf^.i'iOO. 

The wisdom of Washington's selection soon be- 
came evident, and over a century has added imper- 
ishable lustre to Hamilton's grand financial achieve- 
ments, eoiiiiirisiug a jieriod of five years, from 1789 
to 1795. He i)rttUKllt-Qi'der"ont-»f eliaos', effected a 
system out of the confusion of national and State 
finances; provided a siidving fund, and elaborated 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 3 1 

a plan of taxation to sustain it; reported a scheme 
for the assumption by (he Federal Government of 
the State debts; snbmittetl special reports by direc- 
tion of the Tresident or Congress on the means of 
raising and collecting revenue; was responsible for 
the establisliment of a revenue cutter service and the 
provision of naviiiation laws; began the creation of 
a Navy; recommended the purchase of West Point 
for a military academy; the management of the 
public lands ;( L' i K.'i» fj improved taxation; created (on 
a very moderate basis) the pi-otective tariff system; 
and particularly, was he instrumental in the extinc- 
tion of the national debt. 

In 1794 he crushed with great vigor and prompti- 
tude the whiskey insun-ection in western Pennsyl- 
vania, testing on that occasion for the first time with 
signal success the sovereign powers granted to the r y^ 
Central Government, in relation to the individual 
States. 



Founding of the City of Paterson, N. J. 

It was during his incumbency of the Secretaryship 
of the Treasury that Hamilton's connection with the 
founding of the city of Paterson occurred. In 1791, 
a nmnber of distinguished Jerseymen projected a 
scheme for founding a manufacturing town. 

A society was created which is known to this day 
as the "Society for Establishing Useful Manufac- 
tures." A committee was appointed to investigate 
and to determine upon a proper site. They induced 
Hamilton to be associated with them, to which he, 
the more readily assented, as he was the prime fac- 
tor in establishing manufactories and industries in 



V 



32 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

this country, so as to be independent from the Mo- 
ther Country, and in fact, from Europe for their 
commodities. The committee after consulting with 
the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamil- 
ton, selected the present site of the City of Pater- 
son as the future manufacturing town. At their in- 
vitation Hamilton himself came to the locality to 
look over the ground and fully approved of the 
choice, which to the minds of the projectors was ab- 
solutely essential. Thereupon they obtained a char- 
ter of the New Jersey Legislature, in November, 
1791, during the Governorship of William Paterson, 
in whose honor the projected town was to be named. 
Elisha Boudinot, one of the Governors of the "So- 
ciety for Establishing Useful jManufactures," re- 
ceived the Charter in March, 1792, and on May 18th, 
of the same year, 1792, the City of Paterson was 
called into being, standing today in spite of adver- 
.sity in many forms — fire, flood, evil report of 
maligning tongues, — a living testimony to the far- 
seeing intellect of Hamiltou. Her diversified indus- 
tries, notably silk, of which she became the ci-adle 
in this countiy, are proofs of the wisdom of Hamil- 
ton's untiring energy as an upbuilder of our coun- 
try's greatness. The many advantages the site of the 
City of Paterson presented f(n' a manufacturing town 
were at once patent to Hamilton and the one hun- 
dred and fifteen years of her thriving prosperity 
augurs well for a future, bright in its prospects for 
her energetic citizens, who although so busily en- 
gaged in the pursuit of all manner of trades, are cul- 
tivating the fine arts which grace a high and noble 
standard of life. 








^^1 
















*^^f. 




^i^ .^1 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 33 

It is noteworthy that two of her citizens have faith- 
fully served the nation. The late Garret A. llobart in 
tlie exalted station as Vice President, and the Hon- 
orable John W. Grigg;s, a former Governor of the 
Sovereign State of New Jersey, in the capacity of 
]ei,'al adviser to the Federal Government, as Attor- 
ney General of the United States of America. 

The City of Paterson, which Hamilton's approval 
called into existence, forms only one link in the 
great chain of industrial centres of the United States. 

His fertile brain foresaw with astonishing accur- 
acy the limitless possibilities, the natural resources 
our country offered to well-directed efforts of her 
citizens. 

Our people became so imbued witli tlie spirit of 
never resting industry and energetic zeal for com- 
mercial supremacy, that we present today, to the 
wonder of the worlil, the unparalleled spectacle of 
having become, in an amazingly short time, from a 
Debtor nation, enormously aggravated by the bur- 
dens of the Civil war, a Creditor — to which all civ- 
ilized nations of tlie earth are bound to pay their 
tribute. 

As Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton naturally 
was confronted by opposition, but for this he seemed 
to have cared little, until sonu' of his political enemies 
attacked his official integrity. He forthwith pre- 
pared and promptly published a series of reports 
giving the fullest details of every public loan, and 
the entire operations of the Treasury Department 
from its inception. He laid before Congress such a 
wealth of information, concerning the manner iu 
which he conducted every branch of his Depart- 
ment, that not oply was he honorably exonerated, 

5 



34 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

from even the slightest breath of scandal, but on the 
contrary, it was universally admitted, that in all 
matters of money and business transactions, he uni- 
formly displayed an integrity altogether irreproach- 
able, and a sense of honor delicate to the last de- 
gree. All insiniuitions of wrong doing in the conduct 
of the affairs of his Dejjartment vanished like mists 
before the morning sun, and he emerged from these 
base calumnies with an luisullied reputation. 

The great minister of Napoleon I, Talleyrand, that 
cruel cynic, who was wont to judge men most 
soberly, and rather underrated their moral quali- 
ties, stood in awe before the first Financial Secretary, 
of the young Kepublic. He proclaimed him as be- 
ing (iue of the wonders of the world, and spoke of 
him as a man laboring all night to support his fam- 
ily, while he had made the fortune of a nation. 

Retirement Into Private Life. 

Upon his retirement from the head of the Treasury 
Department, he was offered but declined the high 
Office of Chief Ju.stice of the Supreme Court of the 
United States of America, made vacant by the re- 
tirement from that position of John Jay. lie fi'lt 
that the needs of his family required hi.s inunediate 
attention to the practice of Law, so that he might 
earn a competency for them, but while he was en- 
gaged in his profession his interest in public affairs 
never flagged, and his advice and co-operation were 
frequently sought by Washington and others. It is 
now known that he materially aided Washington in 
preparing his famous farewell address. 

In 1798, when there was prospect of war between 
France and the United States, it was deemed neces- 




o 

J. 



o 

Y, 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 35 

sary to reorganize the Army. President Adams con- 
ferred the chief command on General Washington, 
who had since his retirement from the Presidency, 
led an idyllic life at his conntry seat on Mount Ver- 
non. Washington however accepted the position 
only on the conditions, that he should not be called 
into the field except in case of actual hostilities, and 
that Hamilton should be second in command. 

President Adams, who conceived a great dislike 
for Hamilton, would at first not hear of such an ap- 
pointment, and it was only when Washington 
threatened to resign the command that Hamilton 
was. appointed Inspector General, with the rank of 
Ma.ior General. On the lamented death of Washing- 
ton, late in 1709, Hamilton succeeded him as Com- 
niaiiilcr-in-Chief, and when he had brought the Army 
into thoi'ough organization and discipline, the emer- 
gency had passed, and he resigned his command in 
1800. 

It will be of interest in this connection to repro- 
(hice a letter of Hamilton, written at that period, 
which is furnished by the courtesy of his eldest 
granilson, Ma.ior-General Alexander Hamilton, nine- 
ty-two years of age, who resides in Tarrytown, N. Y. 
'riic li'tter addressed to Mrs. Hamilton is as fol- 
lows : — 

Elizabeth Town 

Friday Oct. 17, 1799. 
I am thus tar my dear Eliza on my 
way to New York. But I am under a 
nece.ssity of viewins tho ground for 
Winter quarters today, which will prevent 
my being with you before tomorrow. 
Then plea.scs God I shall certainly 
embrace you & my dear John — 
A Thousand blessings upon you 

Yrs. Ever. 
A. H. 




ALEXANDER HAMILTON 




.4'' 



The "My dear John" spoken of in this letter was 
Col. John Church Hamilton, son of the Statesman 
and his biographer. 

In the year 1800 Hamilton was elected President 
General of the Order of the Cincinnati. 

In the Presidential election of the same year the 
Federalist party under Hamilton's leadei'ship, had 
been defeated. He advised his friends, to support 
Thomas Jefferson rather than Aaron Burr, when the 
duty devolved on the House of Representatives to 
decide which of these two men should become Presi- 
dent. He succeeded in accomplishing the defeat of 
Burr, and from that moment a hostility existed be- 
tween Hamilton and Burr that neither cared to con- 
ceal. 

Political Survey. 

Before we enter into the last and sad chapter of 
Hamilton's life, it is well that we pause a moment for 
r*trospeetie»r The early history of our Republic 
shows the existence of two great parties, the Feder- 
alists under Hamilton's leadership, striving for a 
firm, central government. The Republicans under 
the guidance of Thomas Jefferson, were in favor of 
States' Sovereignty, with only limited powers 
granted to the central government. From the inau- 
guration of President Jefferson to the Civil War, 
Jefferson's party which afterwards became known 
as the "Democratic Party," was in the ascendant. 

The "Repul)lican Party," which evolved from the 
old "Federalist" or "Whig" party, had also been in 
existence some time ]u-inr to our civil conflict. 

It woidd ill become a student of our Republic's 
history, to dwell upon the merits or demerits in 




HAMILTON 

STATUE ON CITV HALL 1>LA/A, PATEKSON, N. J. 
Unveiled Memorial Duy. 1907. 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 37 

favor of one or the other party, for there can be no 
manner of doubt that the great and distinguished 
men of either party were striving for the good of 
their common country, just as God gave them light 
to see the right. 

If Thomas Jefferson had left no other legacy to his 
countrymen than his bold authorship of that im- 
mortal document known to all the World, as "The 
Declaration of Independence of the.se United States," 
his claim to fame and the eternal gratitude of his fel- 
low citizens in all generations to come, would have 
been all-sufficient. 

So it must in truth be said of Alexander Hamil- 
ton, if his name could be connected with nothing else, 
but that he had beenj,he principal and moving s[)irit 
of that imperishablej/' Magna G harta,'' the ] " Con.sti- 
tution of the United States of America, it would 
have been enough to crown him with ever'asting 
glory. Through his wisdom and accurate foresight, 
he secured for his fellow citizens "Freedom of Con- 
science," acknowledging no .special religious belief, 
but granting absolute guarantees from interference 
in the exercises of each individual form of worship. 

The American policy of non-interference in Euro- 
pean politics is based upon Alexander Hamilton's 
earnest recommendation to Washington to refuse to 
let this country be drawn into European quarrels. 

Washington reaffirmed this rigid policy in his 
"Farewell Address" by admonishing his fellow coun- 
trj-men to abstain from any participation in Euro- 
pean affairs and from these fundamental principles 
evolved afterwards "The ifonroe Doctrine." 

Hamilton was accused and is to this day accused 
in certain quarters, of having been an "Aristocrat," 



/ 
/ 



^8 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

and in favor of a monarchical form of government. 
Nothing is more fallacioiis than snch notions. It is 
quite true he had no sympathy with mob rule, such 
as made itself manifest during the fir.st great French 
Revolution, but then again, he was imbued with the 
spirit of self government, and "for a government of 
the people, by the people, for the people," as some 
sixty years later, that other great exponent of pop- 
ular government, the immortal Lincoln, so forcibly 
_pxpressed himself. 

The terrible evidences of mob supremacy and 
anarchy were vividly brought home to us by the 
awful spectacle, which lawless Russia has been giv- 
ing to the world : — The unchained passions of an op- 
pressed and misguided people, seeking vengeance on 
the just and on the unjust. 

Again, what we have been permitted to witness 
in our own days, an achievement which has called 
forth the admiration of the entire world, bringing 
forward our great country, as a potent factor for 
peace and amity toward all nations, has only been 
made possible by a strict adherence to the grand 
policy of Hamilton. 

The spirit of Alexander Hamilton is plainly dis- 
cernible in the pursuance of the principles of States-^ 
nianship, laid down by him, finding their culmination 
in the conference from which emanated what is now 
laiown to the Avorld as, "The Treaty of Peace of 
Portsmouth, New Hamp.shire," between Japan and 
Russia, in the year 1905. 

Alexander Hamilton was also one of the principal 
founders of the "New York Evening Post," which 
issued its first copy on November 16th, 1801. This 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 39 

conservative and influential journal has been pub- 
lished ever since uninterruptedly, day by day. 

Regarding Hamilton's religious convictions, it is 
on record that shortly before his death he said of 
Christianity, in his sincere and positive way: 

"I have studied it, and I can prove its trutli as clearly 
"as any proposition ever submitted to tlie mind of man." 

lie lived and died as a man for whom religious be- 
lief brought consolation, and that peace of mind 
which only earnest and sincere conviction can grant. 
There was nothing hypocritical in his composition, 
and he was as true in his relation to his Master, as 
he was to his fellowmen. 

The Beginning of the End. 

(The shadow of a great calamity is now upon us.) 
Aaron Burr had never forgiven Hamilton for having 
been instrumental in depriving him of the Presi- 
dency, in favor of Thomas Jefferson. However, in 
1800, he was not quite ready to seek vengeance. 
Hamilton, although retired from all offices and pur- 
suing his great! aed romuno ratweJLaw practice, was 
ever alive to all public issues. When, therefore, in 
1804, Buri", who then filled the high office of Vice- 
President of the United States of America, declared 
himself desirous to become Governor of the State of 
New York, it was again, through Hamilton 's( iu ij trH 
HKiittaJity ftiitt) efforts, that Burr was thwarted in 
his ambition, and defeat — his lot. 

The enmity already engendered turned into open 
hatred, and Burr was determined to destroy his gi-eat 
opponent. 

He sought and found an excuse to challenge him 
to a duel. He referred in a letter to Hamilton to 



40 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

some expressions of the latter, rather uncompli- 
mentary to Burr's political character, and asked foi' 
a conijjlete retraction which Hamilton, after consul- 
tation with some of his friends, declined. Burr asjain 
wrote, this time demanding a most f i)orompto f y a«*l y 
un(iualified answer, which Hamilton again refused 
to give. As a man of honor, he could not privately 
■pENV - repudiat e wliat was known to he his public opinion 
of Burr's political shortcomings. 

Wlien it became evident to Hamilton that he was 
to meet his adv(;rsar.v (ui the so-called "Field of 
Honor," the pivjiiuMtH+H-of his fate had plainly fal- 
len across his soul, and it was the melancholy fore- 
lioding of the result of this meeting which led 
Hamilton to prepare a paper in explanation and vin- 
dication of his course. He declared : 
That he was certainly desirous of avoiding this interview; 
That; 1) His religious and moral principles wore strongly 
opposed to the practice of duelling, and it would ever 
give him pain, to be obliged to shed the blood of a 
fellow creature in a private combat forbidden by the 
Laws; 
That; 2) His wife and children were extremely dear to 
hiin, and his life of the utmost importance to thorn in 
various ways; 
That; 3) He felt a sense of obligation towards his cred- 
itors, who in case of an accident to him, might become 
in some degree, sufferers. He did not think himself 
at liberty as a man of probity, lightly to expose them 
to such a condition; 
That; 4) He was conscious of no ill-will to Colonel Burr, 
except from distinctly political opposition, and which 
as he trusted, had proceeded from pure and upright 
motives; 
And That;; 5) and Lastly: By the issue of this interview, 
he would risk much and could possibly gain nothing. 

Abhorring, as he did, the practice of duelling, still 
he felt that if he was to be useful in future, in 




TIIK HOME OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

and 

THE TMIKrKKN GI'M I REKS PLANTED BY HlMSEl F IN COM M EMOK ATION OF THE 

nilKTEEN ORIGINAL STATES. 



HAMILTON GRANGE. 

This House was the Home of 

GENERAL ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 

First Secretary of the Treasury 

of the L'nited States under President Washington. 

Built 1801 on South Side of 143d St., West of Convent Ave. 

Moved to East Side of Convent Ave., near 141st St., 1S89. 



This Tablet was placed by 

The Washington Heighls Chapter, 

Daughters of .Vnierlcan Revolution. 

April, 1907. 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 4I 

public as well as in private life, he could not decline 
the call. Public i)rejudiees, in these days demanded 
of him to meet his opponent. 

He had .solemnly resolved, however, if the op- 
portunity were given him, not to fire on his antago- 
nist, but to throw his fire away. 

As the time ajiproached for the fatal meeting he 
set his papers and affairs in such order as he could, 
and wrote his will. In it he entreated his children, 
should there not be enough left for the payment of 
his debts, as soon as they shoukl be able, to endeavor 
to make up the deficiency. He also felt at that hour 
that he had sacrificed too far tlie interests of his 
family to public duties. His letter of farewell to 
his wife and children is full of tender words,/ aiBtJ- 
tht*-f»aihos|and affection of these last sacred terms of 
parting are indescribably touching. 

The Duel. 

On the morning of July 11th, 1804, Hamilton set 
out from his country home, "THE GRANGE," over- 
looking the Hudson River, and where today is West 
One Hundred and Forty-third Street and Convent 
Avenue, New York, to meet his death. The princi- 
pals met with their seconds at a little secluded ledge 
which nestled beneath the heights of Weehawken, 
N. J., and not far above the level of the Hudson. It 
was the favorite spot for duels in those days. Placed 
at their appointed stations and at the command — 
"Present," the pre-arranged signal to fire. Bun- 
paused an instant to take deliberate aim, and fired. 
Hamilton, having been shot in the groin, conviilsive- 
ly raised himself upon his toes, and fell forward up- 
6 



42 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

on his face, his pistol going off as he fell, sending 
the ball through the foliage of the surrounding trees. 

Hamilton was raised into a sitting posture; upon 
examination by the physician it was found the ball 
had struck him in the right side. In feeble tones he 
could just articulate: "This is a mortal wound," 
and then fell into a swoon. 

As they bore him gently to the river bank, he 
opened his wandering eyes, and said: "My vision is 
indistinct." 

William Bayard, an intimate friend and co-worker, 
offered his house in case of disaster and to it the 
boat wended its way as quickly as possible with 
Hamilton aboard, whose precious life was fast 
ebbing away. He then bade them to send for his wife, 
adding : ' ' Let the event be gradually broken to her ; 
but give her hopes." 

In the meantime Burr, by the advice of his sec- 
onds, had retired from the scene. 

Hamilton's Death. 

With wan and feverish face Hamilton tenderly 
took leave of those to whom he was bound by llie 
most sacred ties, and lapsed into inieonsciousness, 
thus being mercifully relieved from the intense pain, 
which the terrible woiuid caused him to suffer. His 
great soul went to its reward at 2 o'clock in the 
afternoon on the day following the duel, July 12th, 
1804, in the forty-eighth year of his age. 

Although news was not disseininated as quickly 
in those days as is now done, still the trite saying : — 
"Bad news travels swiftly," became a reality in the 
case of Hamilton's fatal misfortune. Lamentations, 







3 

oa 

z 
o 

as 
< 
< 



1^ -*••*•■ iT'^'Mi^'^f'' i ^ 




















> =^ 



W 

z 

w 
(J 



s V- •.: ^.-i., j-V' > •i\^ 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 43 

• loep and genuine were heard on all sides from 
friends and political opponents, and bitter execra- 
tions were hurled at his slayer. With amazing rapid- 
ity the great loss which the republic sustained by the 
death of her distinguished son became known 
throughout the land. Great as the people's sorrow 
was, when Washington entered into his eternal rest, 
crowned with honors, and in the fulness of his years, 
the grief at the untimely taking off of this bright 
intellect was still more pathetic in its intensity. 

The entire nation was thrown into mourning by 
the death of Hamilton, and the manner of his demise 
struck horror to the hearts of every one. The uni- 
versal sorrow of those days can only be likened to 
the sad experiences which this nation was called up- 
on to undergo, at the time of the violent deaths of the 
exalted Lincoln, the martyred Garfield and the 
beloved McKinley. 

The confidence which had been reposed in the 
wisdom of Hamilton, and the sense of security which 
his powerful personality gave to the people at large, 
was made manifest by the sincere mourning of the 
multitudes, at his terrible and untimely end. 



v_ 



Mementos. 

Although a century and more has passed since 
these events took place, the spot where that historical 
duel occurred and the Sepulchre, wherein was en- 
tombed all that was mortal of Hamilton, are 
worthy of description. The boulder on which rested 
his head, after receiving the mortal wound, was 
removed from the river bank to the top of the cliff, 
when the West Shore Railroad mms built. It is 



44 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

crowned with a bust of Hamilton and contains a tab- 
let with the following inscription : 

1804. I8a4. 

Upon 

this Stone 

rested the head of the 

Patriot, Soldier, 

Statesman & Jurist 

\LEXANDER HAMILTON, 

after tlie duel with 

AARON BURR, 

fought July 11th, 1804. 



"The duel took place on the bank of the river near this 
spot; and the stone was moved here when the Railroad 
was built. — 1894." 

The point i.s an ideal one, on the Weehawken 
Heights, overlooking- the Hudson, and about opposite 
where today is Forty-second Street, New York. 

It was eminently meet and fitting, that the re- 
mains of so distinguished a man should have been 
deposited in old Trinity Churchyard, the Westmin- 
ster of our young Nation. On the Rector Street side, 
near that great center of activity, and where pulsates 
the financial interests not only of this continent, 
i)iit of the entire world. Wall Street, Hamilton is 
sleeinng his last sleep. With reverence we approach 
lliis lialldwed shrine and pause with bated breath, to 
read : 




AI.EXAN'DKK HAMILTON'S BUST, TAHI.KT AND STONE, 
A I' Wkkiiaukkn, X. J. 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 45 



IN MEMORY OF 

ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

The Corporation of Trinity Church has erected this 

MONUMENT 

In Testimony of the respect 

for 

The Patriot of Incorruptible Integrity 

The Soldier of Approved Valour 

The Statesman of Consummate Wisdom 

Whose Talents and Virtues will be admired 

B Y 

Grateful Posterity 

Long after this marble shall have mouldered Into 

DUST. 

He died July 12. 1804. Aged 47. 



46 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 



Close by are interred the remains of Mrs. Hamil- 
ton, and a tablet tells ns that there lies: 



ELIZA, 

Daughter of 

PHILIP SCHUYLER 

Widow of 

ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 

Born at ALBANY 

August 9th, 1757. 

Died at WASHINGTON 

November 9th, 1854. 



INTERRED HERE 




TOMB OF ALKXANUEK IIAMILTUN, 
In Tkinity Ciiukcii Yard, Nkw Vurk City. 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 47 

On the north wall of the vestry room iii Trinity 
Church of New York City, the New York Society of 
the Cincinnati placed a marble bust of Hamilton, 
beneath which is inscribed this beautiful tribute : 

This Tablet 

Does not profess to perpetuate 

the Memory of a Man. 

to whom the age has produced 

no superior. 

nor to emblazon Worth 

«mlnently conspicuous in every feature 

of his Country's greatness. 

nor to anticipate Posterity in their 

Judgment of the Loss which she has 

sustained by his premature death, 

But to attest. 

In the Simplicity of Grief, 

the veneration and anguish which fill 

the Hearts of the Members of the 

New York State Society of 

CINCINNATI 

on every recollection 

of their illustrious Brother 

MAJOR GENERAL 

ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 

Obiit 1S04 — .\etatis 47. 



48 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 



Hamilton's Slayer. 

With the personality of Aarou Burr, we have no 
concern. Brilliant as were his faculties he was de- 
void of all moral sense. His courage in battle and 
his ability in the council chamber cannot be gainsaid, 
but the sinister traits of his pcatilcntia A character 
involved him in questionable transactions which ulti- 
mately brought him before the bar of justice. He 
was accused of high treason against his country, and 
although this great crime was not proven against 
him, he fled and for many years was exiled from his 
native laud. He attained an age of over eighty 
years, dying in poverty and obscurity, thus proving 
that that duel was infinitely more fatal to the blood- 
stained survivor than to his immortal victim. 



J)£3TlfC<: 



T/ue 



Conclusion. 

Alexander Hamilton's chief qualities of mind were 
a clear and vigorous reasoning faculty, and a chaste 
and prolific imagination. In the discussion of any 
subject, he seized hold of the main points with the 
vigor of an intellectual giant, and handled them 
skilfully, gracefully and with ease. His essays, 
pami)hlets, and reports are masterpieces; each per- 
fect, symmetrical and finished in itself. The elo- 
quence of Hamilton was a model of perfection, 
whether it was displayed in a tleliberative assembly, 
in the Courts of Justice, or in the Halls of the Acad- 
emy. He was possessed of a retentive memory, and 
clear discrimination and was gifted with untiring 
industry. His integrity and honesty were unim- 
peachable. As a soldier, Hamilton was eminently 
brave, chivalrous and prudent. 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 49 

Alexandei" Hamilton's personal appearance was 
pleasing and attractive. Although he was under the 
middle size, he carried himself very erect, and his 
bearing was dignified and courtly. He was thin in 
person; his complexion was delicate and fair, and 
his cheeks rosy. He had a rather long and straight 
nose, and steel blue eyes, with remarkable force of 
penetration. His hair he was accustomed to comb 
back from his forehead, to powder and to collect in 
a cue behind, as was the habit in his days. 
His forehead was high, capacious, and prominent; 
his voice was musical, his manner frank and impul- 
sive. His appearance and carriage betokened a man 
of great intellect and one fully conscious of his men- 
tal powers. 

The virtues of Alexander Hamilton should ever 
be worthy of the truest emulation by all generations 
to come. 

We would, however, lay ourselves open to just cen- 
sure were we to attempt to depict Hamilton as hav- 
ing been without failings or without errors. 

But in justice to his character it must be admitted 
that he was courageous enough to acknowledge his 
foibles; nor must we lose sight of the fact that the 
standard by which morality was gauged a century 
and more ago, was not of that high plane to which 
society in this enlightened age is expected to con- 
form. 

Well may we throw the cloak of Charity over his 
shortcomings; the inestimable services he rendered 
to his country and the many virtues which were 
iinited in his person, entitle him to the considerate 
judgment of posterity. 



50 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

It is well, therefore, in conehision, to recall the tes- 
timony some of his notable contemporaries and other 
men of eminence have borne to his genius, the talents 
of which he so unreservedly gave to his country. 

Fisher Ames, of Massachusetts, one of his con- 
temporaries, spoke of Hamilton as 

"A Lawyer, his comprehensive genius reached the prin- 
ciples of his profession; he compassed its extent, he fath- 
omed its profound, perhaps even more familiarly and 
easily, than the ordinary rules of its practice. With most 
men law is a trade; with him it was a science. 

"As a statesman, he was not more distinguished by the 
great extent of his views than by the caution with which 
he provided against impediments, and the watchfulness 
of his care over right and the liberty of the subject. In 
none of the many revenue bills which he framed, though 
committees reported them, is there to be found a single 
clause that savors of despotic power; not one that the 
sagest champions of law and liberty would, on that ground, 
hesitate to approve and adopt. 

"The only ordinary distinction, he did aspire, was mil- 
ttary; and for that, in the event of a foreign war, he 
would have been solicitous. He undoubtedly discovered the 
predominance of a soldier's feelings, and all that is honor 
In the character of a soldier was at home in his heart. 
His early education was in the camp; there the first fer- 
vors of his genius were poured forth, and his earliest and 
most cordial friendships formed; there he became enam- 
oured of glory, and was admitted to her embrace. 

"Those who knew him best, and especially in the army, 
will believe, that if occasions had called him forth, he was 
qualified, beyond any man of the age, to display the tal- 
ents of a great general. 

"It may be very long before our country will want such 
military talents; it will probably be much longer before it 
will again po.ssess them." 




ALEXANDER HAMILTON, 

Major Gkneral ok L'nitkd Si aies Akmiks. and 

Skcretary of Treasury. 

From iin old siecl engrnvint; In the possession of St. Luke's P. E. Cl.uich. 
New York City. 



THE GREAT FEDERALIST. $1 

John Marshall, the eminent Chief Justice of the 
Supreme Court of the United States of America, in 
describing the "Troubles of the first Administra- 
tion," wrote in his well balanced and judicial man- 
ner the following : 

"Until near the close of the war Mr. Hamilton had 
served his country In the field; and, just before its term- 
ination, had passed from the camp into congress, where 
he remained for some time after peace had been estab- 
lished. In the former station, the danger to which the in- 
dependence of his country was exposed from the imbecility 
of Its government was perpetually before his eyes; and, in 
the latter, his attention was forcibly directed towards 
the loss of its reputation, and the sacrifice of its best 
Interests, which were to be ascribed to the same cause. 
Mr. Hamilton, therefore, was the friend of a government 
which should possess. In Itself, sufficient powers and re- 
iources to maintain the character, and defend the integ- 
rity of the nation. Having long felt and witnessed the 
mischiefs produced by the absolute sovereignty of tha 
States, and by the control which they were enabled and 
disposed separately to exercise over every measure of gen- 
eral concern, he was particularly apprehensive of danger 
from that quarter; which he, probably, believed was to be 
the more dreaded, because the habits and feelings of the 
American people were calculated to inspire state, rather 
than national prepossessions. Under the influence of these 
Impressions, he is understood to have avowed opinions in 
the convention favorable to a system in which the execu- 
tive and senate, though elective, were to be rather more 
permanent, than they were rendered in that which was 
actually proposed. He afterwards supported the constitu- 
tion, as framed, with great ability, and contributed essen- 
tially to Its adoption. But he still retained, and openly 
avowed the opinion, that the greatest hazards to which it 
was exposed arose from its weakness, and that American 
liberty and happiness had much more to fear from tha 
encroachments of the great states, than from those of tha 
general government." 



52 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 

Daniel Webster, one of the greatest statesmen this 
or any other country ever produced, uttered these 
sentiments : 

"Alexander Hamilton was made Secretary of the Treas- 
ury; and how he fulfilled the duties of such a place, at 
such a time, the whole country perceived with delight and 
the whole world saw with admiration. He smote the rock 
of the national resources, and abundant streams of rev- 
enue gushed forth. He touched the dead corpse of the 
Public Credit, and it sprang forth upon its feet. The fabled 
birth of Minerva, from the brain of Jove, was hardly more 
sudden or more perfect than the financial system of the 
United States, as it burst forth from the conceptions of 
Alexander Hamilton." 




THE GREAT FEDERALIST. 53 

IN MEMORIAM. 

Thus 
lived a noble Life. 

A L E X .\ N D E R H .\ M I L T O N , 

THE RESOURCEFUL FINANCIER, 

THE WISE COUNSELLOR, 

THE LEARNED JURIST, 

THE EMINENT STATESMAN; 

and thus faced with 

equal nobility and classic composura, 

an untimely f.ate; 

THE GREAT PATRIOT, 

THE GALLANT SOLDIER. 

THE PROFOUND SCHOLAR, 

THE ACCOMPLISHED GENTLEMAN: 

but towering far above these Parts, 

thus securing Immortality, 

Behold The MAN 

OF COURAGE, OF FIDELITY. OF RIGHTEOUSNESS 

AND HONOR. 

ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 



ALEXANDER HAMILTON 55 



AD HONOREM. 



A 8 the ages roll along 

li ight and darkness interchanging 

E ver shifting scenes creating 

X tol the fame of HAMILTON. 

A II for his country's greatness 

N ever faltering, never ceasing 

D ominated his brave soul; 

E volving from his mind's conception 

R arest gift — Our Constitution. 

TI onor then, ye generations 

A L E X A .\ D E R HAMILTON 

M aster, wise in statesmanship 

1 ntellect of world renown 

1j eader to America's glory 

T oiler for her liberty. 

O nward may his spirit guide 

N ation Thee — his hope, his pride. 



